How to Hang a Banner

Before you hang it: front, edges and weight

Our banners are printed on one side, so check which side faces out before you tie anything. Lay the banner flat with the printed side up and read the words. They should read the right way from where people will stand. Every banner has hemmed edges, with brass grommets set around them. The grommets are where your ties and hooks go.

Weight decides which hooks and ties to use. A solid 13 oz vinyl banner weighs about 13 ounces per square yard. That works out to about 1.6 pounds for a 6 by 3 foot banner and about 2.9 pounds for an 8 by 4 foot banner. The table below gives the rest. Choose hooks that are rated for at least the weight of your banner.

Check the spot too. As a rule of thumb, about 1 inch of letter height reads easily for every 10 feet of distance, so a sign read from a passing car needs bigger letters than one read from a porch. Our live preview shows the letter sizes on the banner itself, so you can check them before you order.

• Printed side out, so the words read the right way from the spot.
• Ties and hooks go through the grommets, not through the printed area.
• Weight first: check each hook or rope against the table before you buy it.

On a chain link fence

Chain link is the easiest spot, and it suits our mesh banners. Mesh has small open holes, so the wind passes through it instead of catching on it. Our mesh fence banners run as long as 25 feet: 8, 10, 20 and 25 feet long, each 6 feet tall, plus 6 by 3 and 8 by 4 foot sizes. See mesh fence banners for the full list of sizes and colors.

Corners first, then the edges, keeps the banner square to the fence. A loose tie is the first place the wind gets under the banner, so pull each one snug as you go.

• Lay the banner along the fence with the printed side facing out.
• Start at a corner. Put a zip tie through the first grommet and around the fence wire, then close it.
• Tie the other corners the same way before you fill in anything.
• Fill in along the top edge, with a zip tie through every grommet.
• Pull each tie snug before you move to the next one.
• Do the bottom edge the same way, then walk the length and check that no edge is loose.

On a wood fence, a railing, or between two posts or trees

Wood and railings are solid to tie to. On a wood fence or railing you can use zip ties or rope around the rail, or screws with washers. Between two posts or two trees, use rope. Each spot starts the same way: put one tie through each top grommet first, then the bottom.

Tie the top grommets first, then the bottom, and check that the banner hangs flat before you finish. Rope that is only knotted loosely can slip, so tie it off tight at each end.

• Wood fence or railing, ties: wrap a zip tie or rope around the rail, run it through the grommet, and pull it tight.
• Wood fence, screws: put a washer on each screw, then drive it through the grommet and into the wood.
• Between two posts or trees: run rope through the top grommets, then tie off each end tight so the banner hangs flat.

On a brick wall, or indoors without damage

On brick, use brick clips. They grip the edge of a brick, so nothing is drilled into the wall. Fit the clips along the top, then hang the banner from them through the top grommets. Our solid vinyl banners, such as custom vinyl banners, hang this way too.

Indoors, use removable adhesive hooks rated for the banner's weight. Read the weight printed on the hook package and compare it with the table. Clean the wall where the hooks go, press each one on firmly, let it set as the package says, then hang the banner through the top grommets.

• Brick: brick clips grip the edge of the brick, so no drilling.
• Indoors: removable adhesive hooks, rated for at least the banner's weight.
• A 6 by 2 foot banner weighs about 1.1 pounds, so check that the hook's label covers that.
• Clean the wall first, so the adhesive can grip.

On a garage door, a porch, or a pop-up tent

A garage door or a porch gives you a top edge to hang from. Use hooks through the top grommets, or rope tied through them and fixed to the frame. Keep the banner clear of anything that moves, such as the garage door as it opens.

Pull the banner flat before you tighten anything. A tent frame moves when the wind hits it, so check the cords after the first gust and tighten any that have gone slack.

• Garage door: hooks or rope through the top grommets, fixed to the top of the door frame.
• Porch: hooks through the top grommets onto the rail or the roof edge, or rope tied at each end.
• Pop-up tent: bungee cords with balls on the ends. Hook a cord through each top grommet you can reach, then hook the ball onto the frame.

On windy days, and when you take it down

Mesh lets wind pass through, so it is the better pick for a fence in a windy spot. A solid banner catches more wind, so it needs more ties and a close look after a gusty day. If a storm is coming, take the banner down before it arrives.

When the event is over, take the banner down the same way you put it up: one tie at a time, starting at the bottom. Roll the banner with the printed side out and store it rolled, so it is ready to hang again.

• Take the ties off one at a time, starting at the bottom.
• Roll the banner with the printed side out.
• Do not fold it hard, and store it rolled.